BA parent announces growth in premium travel
British Airways’ parent IAG saw an 8.4% increase in traffic last month compared with November 2012, but at the same time its capacity rose 9.5%, leading to a slight rise in the number of empty seats.
Most of the growth came from BA, whose revenue passenger kilometers was up 5.3% year on year. The airline’s capacity was up 6.5%.
Iberia saw a 14.8% drop in traffic but chopped capacity by 14.2%.
The group, which also acquired Spanish budget airline Vueling in April, saw a 6.3% increase in premium traffic, but the comparison with last year for the number of available seats sold on North America flights was affected by the impact in 2012 of Hurricane Sandy and the difference in timing of Thanksgiving.
The group said underlying market conditions remain unchanged from those described when it announced a profit for the third quarter to the end of September of £575 million.
At the time, chief executive Willie Walsh forecast an operating profit of around £620 million for 2013.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt